People have been making specialized luggage devices for use when traveling for centuries. Luggage devices for long objects, such as golf clubs, are more awkward to handle than most luggage devices. If the luggage device for long objects is stood on end, it will easily fall over when bumped, so it is usually handled and placed in a horizontal orientation.
An important improvement for luggage devices was the addition of two built-in wheels along one edge of the luggage opposite a built-in handle. For most luggage devices, these edge wheels allow the luggage to be tilted to near a balance point and then pulled or pushed with the handle opposite the wheels. On paved surfaces, this makes it easy for a person to walk while pushing or pulling the luggage.
However, when luggage devices that are much longer than they are high are heavily loaded, such as luggage devices for golf clubs, the system of two edge wheels and an opposite handle does not work very well. When the long luggage device is tilted to its balance point, the tilt angle is too close to vertical to gain adequate control over the weight of the device. Consequently, the user must tilt the luggage device much closer to horizontal than near the balance point and carry much of the weight in the user's hand, which presents a problem when the luggage device is heavily loaded.
For short, heavily loaded, edge-wheeled luggage devices, the problem can be solved by extending the handle so that most of the weight is on the wheels. Such luggage devices with extendable handles are popular. However, if the luggage is long, longer than about 40 inches, and intended to carry significant weight, extending the handle enough to transfer adequate weight to the wheels would make the length of the tilted luggage device plus extended handle too long for maneuvering through travel stations and around other baggage.
A popular luggage device that particularly suffers from this problem is the travel case for golf clubs. The length of its base is more than twice the height of its side opposite the edge wheels. When loaded with golf clubs, it is quite heavy. When raised at a low enough angle to give adequate control, the weight on a user's hand is undesirably tiresome. A solution to this problem without adding an extension on the handle is needed.